Fleetwoods, Gorleston

75 High Street

Gorleston

Norfolk NR31 6RQ

Tel: 01493 662824
www.fleetwoodsbutchers.co.uk

A STORY OF PASSION AND PRIDE

 at the seaside

Mark Allen has a passion for Food.   

This is obvious from the moment you walk into his butchers shop on Gorleston High Street.  His fantastic counter beautifully presents some of the best meat that Suffolk and Norfolk has to offer including our own Scotts Field Pork. 

To persuade you of this I am going to let a picture paint a thousand words....

The pork counter at Fleetwoods

Mark was one of the first butchers to take Scotts Field Pork and I think that he will agree that when we first came across each other it was like a meeting of minds. As a stockman I spend my life working to rear as near perfect a pig as I can -  it makes every wet & cold day worthwhile when you meet someone like Mark who is just as passionate as you are about the meat that you produce.

Before I hand you over to the great man himself I must remind you that Fleetwoods Butchers are in Gorleston. Mark's business is retail only, so he is not dependent on the tourist trade that so many coastal butchers rely upon. He does however have loyal customer base of Norfolk customers some of whom travel up to 20 miles to come to his shop. Why I am I pointing this out to you? Because Mark runs a very successful business that is an integral part of  Norfolks local foodweb providing employment and ensuring that for every £1 that is spent in his shop 75p stays in the local economy.

Mark (centre) and the lads at Fleetwoods

Why did you become a butcher?

When I left school I did a two year catering course at Yarmouth College and it was after this I got a job with John Fleetwood at his shop in Gorleston. It was under John that I did my butcher training and continued to work for him until his retirement when I took the shop over from him.

What is it that sets you apart from other butchers in the area?

I think the main thing that sets us apart from a lot of butchers, not just those in the area is that I can tell you the farm that every animal in this shop came from. We source our meat from the very best farms - which is why we stock Scotts Field Pork of course! I think as well that of all our meat the pork has the most food miles which is just under 100 from field to fork.

Another thing that we are re-knowned for in the Yarmouth area is our Butchery Demonstration Evenings which are something I get a lot of pleasure from. We invite our producers to join us and a few of our customers to talk about the way that they produce their meat. I then give a butchery demonstration pointing out the different cuts and how they can be cooked and then we have a tasting session usually something that has been cooked by my son who also works with me in the shop.

Mark and Rob at October's Pork Butchery Demonstration

What are you most proud of at Fleetwoods?
At Fleetwoods we pride ourselves on our customer service.We are always happy to give our customers advice on buying different cuts of meats as well as to suggest ways of cooking the more unusual and cheaper ones. 

What is your favourite cut of Scotts Field Pork?
I like to roast a shoulder. It has a slightly sweeter taste than leg and because of the intramuscular fat very succulent. We always have a slightly fatter carcase in my shop which ensures that the meat as it cooks stays moist.
All the sausages in our shop are made from Scotts Field Pork and for a mid week meal my favourite is cracked black pepper.

Roasting joints at Fleetwoods

Who is your favourite Chef and why?  
It must be Delia Smith not only because she supports Norwich City but also because she has always supported local producers. My favourite cook book however is Flyod on Meat.

Are you a cook & do you have a favourite recipe? 

I am an amateur cook but one of the lads in the shop, Matt is a trained chef so he is always around to give me some tips. My favourite recipe is Rolled Pork Belly stuffed with fennel, wholegrain mustard, lemon & thyme